Polish food: Babushka's vs. Hubert's

Wednesday

Mar 23, 2011 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2011 at 10:33 PM

I didn't grow up in pierogi country, but I have friends from western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio who did. Since many of those friends live in Clintonville now, the semi-recent opening of Babushka's Kitchen in the Beechwold area had them overheated with kielbasa fever.

I didn't grow up in pierogi country, but I have friends from western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio who did. Since many of those friends live in Clintonville now, the semi-recent opening of Babushka's Kitchen in the Beechwold area had them overheated with kielbasa fever.

This piqued my interest in the two local Polish food outlets I know about -Babushka's (which all those aforementioned friends declared was the real deal) and Hubert's Polish Kitchen in the North Market (which many of those friends admitted to not having tried).

Babushka's Kitchen

The setting: Like a big meeting hall split into three rather plain dining spaces named after different Polish cities (Krakow, Warsaw). It's a little kitschy-touristy in there and unrelentingly upbeat polka music plays non-stop.

The food: Looks and tastes just like Cleveland church basement cuisine -this is in no way a knock. The local Babushka's Kitchen is a little sister of a famous "as seen on TV" Cleveland eatery, and lots of the Clintonville shop's stuff comes from the Cleveland home office.

Noteworthy dishes: The Hunter's Feast ($16) subtitled "Polish house sampler" is built for two (at least!) and is a hog-tastic way to acquaint yourself with this place.

• A jumbo potato and cheddar pierogi - a winner, buttery and attractively browned, filled with a big pouch of cheese and mashed potato

• Two sides, such as mashed potatoes (not homemade) and green beans (forgettable) and old-school cabbage and noodles (go with these).

For a bite of something sweet, try the kolachky cookies filled with jammy fruit - they're a delicate, flaky and grandmotherly treat.

Hubert's Polish Kitchen

The setting: A good-sized counter operation stationed in the bustling North Market. Hubert's wide array of authentic Polish selections is dished up cafeteria-style.

The food: Great tasting, generally hearty and full-flavored Polish fare prepared (mostly) by a pair of Polish brothers. Using as many high-quality North Market ingredients as possible and relying on old family recipes, Hubert's totally scratch-made food includes lots of soupy and stewy stuff plus plenty of interesting, colorful and healthyish vegetable salads (items are around $4-$6 apiece, or available in combos for $8-$10).

Noteworthy dishes: The deep-fried, softball-sized cheesy and meaty sauerkraut balls called Mielone are thoroughly addictive, real must-haves (but ask for the winglike hot sauce on the side). Still, I was highly impressed with everything I tried, such as: